NMPF: Phase out dairy cattle tail docking by January 2017

ORLANDO — The board of the National Milk Producers Federation has set Jan. 1, 2017, as the date for dairy farmers participating in the industry’s Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Animal Care Program to phase out the practice of tail docking.

At the federation’s annual meeting Oct. 26 in Orlando, the board approved a resolution hastening by five years the previously established 2022 deadline for discontinuing tail docking. Switch trimming is recommended as a preferred alternative

“On this issue, the science, the advice of our technical experts and requests from our dairy customers and consumers are all aligned,” said NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern.

FARM program

NMPF started the FARM Animal Care Program in 2009 to highlight how much the dairy industry is doing to improve animal care. Dairy farmers supplying milk to dairy cooperatives and processors representing more than 90 percent of the nation’s milk supply now participate.

For more information on the National Dairy FARM Animal Care Program, contact Emily Meredith at 703-243-6111 or visit www.nationaldairyfarm.com.